Claire Belton - Lets Bake!: A Pusheen Cookbook

To Pusheen:

Our constant muse, inspiration, delight, and companion through many days of writing and baking. You made it such a joy!

To the Pusheen fans:

Yes, this book is especially for you!

P usheen is a funny, mischievous, adorably plump tabby cat that brings smiles and laughter to people all around the world. She came to life through her animated comics and stickers on Pusheen.com, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms! As you may have noticed, Pusheen is really into snacking! In this book, creator/artist Claire Belton and creative chef Susanne Ng have joined forces to create and share forty cute and delicious recipes, celebrating Pusheens boundless love for treats!

In these super-fun recipes, you will find Pusheen everywhere, adorning sweet treats like cookies and marshmallows, yummy desserts like jelly, classical pastries such as tarts and clairs, beautiful celebration cakes, and even Pusheens favorite savory snackpizza! There are basic recipes for beginners as well as more challenging projects for more advanced bakers.

Lots of love, laughter, and snacking research and development went into the creation of this cookbook. We hope that you will enjoy re-creating these recipes as much as Pusheen enjoys eating them!

All recipes have received the Pusheen Gold Beans of Approval.

MAKES 18 TO 20 COOKIES LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EASY

Tender and buttery, with a delightful infusion of vanilla and almond, these cookies are seriously addictive! They are extremely fuss-free to work with, too, retaining their shape well after baking. Use the templates at the back of the book to create your favorite Pusheen poses!

INGREDIENTS

Butter Cookies

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and slightly softened but still cold
• cup (100g) superfine sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, sifted
• cup (30g) cornstarch
• teaspoon salt
• teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• teaspoon pure almond extract
• Black food coloring or unsweetened black cocoa powder

Decorations

• 6 ounces (150g) dark coating/compound chocolate, chopped, or melting wafers
• or
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder
• 1 cups (165g) confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

1. MAKE THE COOKIES: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and superfine sugar until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, and beat until the egg is well incorporated and the mixture lightens in color.
   
2. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
3. Divide the dough into two portions. To one portion, knead in a few drops of black food coloring or black cocoa powder pinch by pinch to tint the dough gray. Form the gray dough and plain dough into separate discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 340F (170C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Make a template by tracing Pusheen shapes from the Butter Cookies templates on (templates 1, 2, and 3) onto a piece of cake board or food-safe plastic and cutting them out.
5. Roll the dough out to inch (6mm) thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out your desired Pusheen shapes by placing your templates on top of the dough and using them as guides.
   
   
6. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan.
7. DECORATE THE COOKIES: Paint or pipe on the Pusheen features using melted chocolate or royal icing. For melted chocolate, place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each to prevent burning, until melted and smooth. For royal icing, combine the meringue powder, confectioners sugar, and water in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the icing forms peaks, about 10 minutes.
   
   

MAKES 16 COOKIES LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

Melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly, and pleasantly sweet, these 3D cookies will have you reaching for seconds. Using only five ingredients, the dough is extremely easy to shape into Pusheen.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (75g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and slightly softened but still cold
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• cup (100g) potato starch
• 6 tablespoons (50g) cake flour
• Food coloring: pink, green, purple, and black (or use natural food colorings: beet, matcha, purple sweet potato, and unsweetened black cocoa powders)